The title-role is given a strong identity by Cyrille Dubois’s bright little tenor. His wife Astasie is vibrantly delineated by soprano Karine Deshayes. Atar’s endless villainy is vividly presented by baritone Jean-Sébastien Bou…The often thrilling orchestral writing is vividly conveyed by Les Talens Lyriques under Christophe Rousset.

Salieri shows great skill in carrying the drama forwards…Gluck is a constant presence…Dubois makes a first-rate Tarare…Deshayes is a passionate Astasie…Rousset conducts with an unerring hand: the sforzandos in the Overture to the Prologue have a Beethovenian force that grips the attention right from the start. Great stuff.

Rousset’s direction gives every indication of his total belief in the score…The outright star is the baritone Jean-Sebastien Bou, his finely articulated and rounded singing of Atar capturing every nuance of a complex role. Cyrille Dubois’s Tarare, another demanding role, is also very satisfyingly sung…But this is Bou’s triumph, total in its overall projection of an evil but many-sided character.

A score of beguiling instrumental variety and dramatic momentum...brilliantly brought to life by Rousset and his cast.

Christophe Rousset guides his forces through the myriad turns of pace with alacrity, and the cast is strong. Tenor Cyrille Dubois and mezzo Karine Deshayes take the heroic roles with elegance, Jean-Sébastien Bou relishes the villainy of Atar, and Enguerrand de Hys’ Calpigi is so amusing that one almost overlooks his solid technique.